Moxa cone removal instrument

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a moxa cone removal forceps instrument made of heat resistant material and designed for removal of burning moxa cones from the skin of patients undergoing acupuncture treatments. The removal instrument has pivoting legs with scoops at the ends most distal from the finger grip portions of the legs. The scoops are designed to grasp and hold the moxa cones within an enclosed volume having a flat bottom.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/562,041 filed on Apr. 14, 2004 which is incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the direct moxa method of acupuncturetreatment and more particularly to an apparatus for removing a burningmoxa cone from a patient.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many think of Chinese medicine as being synonymous with acupuncture, buteven the Chinese term for acupuncture, “Zhen Jiu,” literally translatesinto “Acupuncture & Moxibustion.” Rarely in the medicine practiced inancient China were acupuncture needles inserted without also treatingpatients with moxibustion, a therapy which involves the burning ofspecific herbs at acupuncture points. Today, moxibustion is frequentlyused alongside acupuncture for conditions ranging from bronchial asthmato arthritis with amazing success.

In moxibustion, the leaves of the Chinese herb mugwort (ArtemesiaeVulgaris) are dried and then burned using one of several methods.

The ‘moxa stick’ is the most common form in which moxibustion is used topromote healing. Here the dried mugwort is rolled up tightly and wrappedin paper forming a cigar-like stick. The moxa stick can be held in oneplace, rotated in circles, or ‘pecked’ in a motion similar to a sparrowpecking at food over the area of an acupuncture point.

Another form of moxibustion involves the ‘heating needle.’ In thismethod, a roll of dried mugwort is applied directly on the head of anacupuncture needle. The roll is then lit and burns slowly like anincense stick. Heat penetrates through the acupuncture needle andtransfers deeply into the acupuncture point. This infusion of heatbrings instant relief to rheumatic pain in the muscles and joints and iscommonly used as a treatment for arthritic pain.

‘Ginger moxa’ is yet another method that combines the therapeuticproperties of moxibustion with those of ginger, one of the most popularherbs used in Chinese medicine. Practitioners cut a slice of ginger,approximately one to two centimeters thick, and pierce it with tinyholes. Dried mugwort leaves are then rolled up into a cone that is aboutthe size of a lima bean. The ginger is placed on the umbilicus of apatient suffering from diarrhea or abdominal pain. The moxa cone isplaced on the ginger and then carefully lit with a small flame. Theburning nugget of moxa and ginger remain on the umbilicus until thepatient perspires and the area turns red. New cones are added as theoriginal cone burns down. The ginger slice should be changed after 5moxa cones. In addition to treating digestive symptoms, ginger moxa isalso beneficial in the treatment of painful joints.

‘Direct moxa’ is a method where the dried herb is rolled into a smallcone (about the size of a rice grain) and burned directly on the skin.Vaseline may be spread onto the skin to ensure that the moxa cone willstick. The moxa cone is lit with the end of a burning incense stick,barely touching the top of the cone until it ignites. Tweezers are usedto take the cone off when the heat becomes uncomfortable.

Direct moxa is commonly used to stop heavy menstrual bleeding. Womensuffering from excess bleeding will have moxa cones applied to a pointat the corner of the nail of the big toe. The moxa is burned two thirdsof the way down to avoid scarring or blistering the skin. This procedureis repeated with three to five cones per toe. Here again, in the vastmajority of cases, the direct moxa treatment brings relief where Westerntechniques offer little help for patients.

Traditional treatment of asthma requires that moxa cones be burntdirectly on the upper back. In this treatment the moxa cones burn allthe way down in order to actually cause some degree of scarring.

As discussed inhttp://www.sadhanadojo.com/index2.phtml/2002-06-14-140631/1/, Moxatreatment is based on the same Chinese yin and yang principles thatactivate the healing properties in acupuncture and shiatsu. When usingraw moxa punt apply a good burn ointment, such as Ching Wan or aloevera. This will help prevent unnecessary damage to the skin. (It is alsoused to anchor the moxa cone to the skin.) You then take a pinch of moxapunk between your thumb and index finger and roll it into a tight tinycone. Place the cone directly on the selected acupuncture point or tsuboand light it with a stick of incense. Allow the moxa to burn down to thereceiver's skin and then wipe it away with a cotton square dampened withalcohol. Depending on the depth of tsubo usually three to sixapplications are used on a point. When finished, wipe the affected tsuboarea with alcohol to help close the pores and protect against infection.Treatments are often to be applied every day, perhaps lasting up to 6weeks, and again this is dependent on the desired affect and the tsubobeing stimulated.

The invention relates to the direct moxa method, and removing burning aburning moxa cone from a patient. The cone (or pyramid) of moxa isplaced on an acupuncture point of a patient, base down (base of the coneon the patient's skin), and the tip (apex) of the cone is lit. The moxacone burns like incense, from the tip down to the base. While burning,the acupuncture point on the patient is slowly heated. When the cone ofmoxa is nearly burnt down, or the patient cannot tolerate the heat, thestub of the cone, which is largely ash plus any unburned base portion ofthe cone is removed.

In the past, the practitioner could remove the burnt down moxa cone withhis/her fingers, but this can cause burning of the fingers. Gloves couldbe used. It is also known to use tweezers, but the stub of the moxa coneis quite crumbly, and using tweezers which would apply direct pressureto the cone could cause is to crumble, leaving hot moxa on the patient'sskin. Wiping away with a cotton square dampened with alcohol is alsodiscussed, but anytime you apply alcohol to a patient's skin, abruptcooling occurs due to the evaporation of alcohol, and this is not or maynegate the desired effect.

What is needed is an instrument (tool) for removing a burning (or burnt)moxa cone from the body of a patient without damaging either thepractitioner or the patient.

Tweezers are known. A tweezer has two elongate members joined at oneend. The two elongate members form an acute angle with one another,typically about 10-20 degrees. The other (“far”, “business”) ends of theelongate members are spaced apart and are typically either pointed orblunt. The material of the elongate materials is somewhat resilient(springy). When the two elongate members are squeezed together, at amidpoint thereof, the two “far” ends (which oppose each other) cometogether and can capture an object therebetween by applying clampingpressure on the object. As discussed above, it is not desirable to applydirect pressure to a burnt, crumbly moxa cone.

Forceps are known. A forceps has two rigid elongate members pivotallyjoined to one another at a midpoint. The two elongate members form anacute angle with one another, typically limited to 0-90 degrees. (Thinkof a pair of scissors, or pliers.) At one end (“handle”) of the elongatemembers are finger holes. At the other (“far”, “business”) end, theelongate members are typically provided with “grabbing” surfaces orstructures. The material of the elongate materials is relatively rigid(not springy). When the user squeezes the handle ends together, theother (“far”) ends (which oppose each other) come together and cancapture an object therebetween by applying clamping pressure on theobject. (Some forceps are provided with ratchet teeth on the handle endso that the forceps can be “locked” in a closed position.) As discussedabove, it is not desirable to apply direct pressure to a burnt, crumblymoxa cone.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a moxa cone removal forceps instrumentconstructed of a heat resistant material and comprising two elongatemembers joined together and a pair of end scoops, one on each of the twoelongate members, said end scoops disposed so as to come together andform a hollow enclosed volume wherein can be captured an object withoutapplying clamping pressure upon said object. The hollow enclosed volumeis a polyhedral volume having a flat polygonal base, or it is a conicalvolume having a flat circular or elliptical base, or it is a flat basedspherical volume having a flat circular or elliptical base, or it is aflat circular or elliptical base, or it is a flat based cubical volumehaving a flat square base, or it is a flat based rectangular volumehaving a flat rectangular base. The heat resistant material of forcepsinstrument of the present invention is constructed of is metal or hightemperature plastic.

The present invention is a method for removing burning moxa cones fromthe skin of patients undergoing acupuncture treatments involvingmoxibustion, the method comprising the steps of utilizing a forceps likeinstrument constructed of a heat resistant material and comprising twoelongate members joined together and having a pair of end scoops, one oneach of the two elongate members, said end scoops disposed upon the endsof the elongate members so as to be brought together to form a hollowenclosed volume wherein can be captured a moxa cone without applyingclamping pressure upon said moxa cone when positioning the pair of endscoops upon the patient's skin on opposite sides of the burning moxacone and closing the elongate members of the forceps instrument so as toenclose the moxa cone within a volume defined by the pair of end scoopsfollowed by lifting the burning moxa cone away from the skin and thenopening the forceps instrument to remove the moxa cone therefrom. Themethod further includes the step of having said volume defined by thepair of end scoops be a polyhedral volume having a flat polygonal base,or a conical volume having a flat circular or elliptical base, or a flatbased spherical volume having a flat circular or elliptical base, or aflat based cylindrical volume having a flat circular or elliptical base,or a flat based cubical volume having a flat square base, or a flatbased rectangular volume having a flat rectangular base. The methodincludes the steps of using a forceps like instrument constructed ofmetal or of high temperature plastic.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure, operation, and advantages of the present invention willbecome further apparent upon consideration of the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying figures (FIGUREs.). Thefigures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting.

Certain elements in some of the figures may be omitted, or illustratednot-to-scale, for illustrative clarity. The cross-sectional views may bein the form of “slices”, or “near-sighted” cross-sectional views,omitting certain background lines which would otherwise be visible in a“true” cross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity.

In the drawings accompanying the description that follows, often bothreference numerals and legends (labels, text descriptions) may be usedto identify elements. If legends are provided, they are intended merelyas an aid to the reader, and should not in any way be interpreted aslimiting.

Often, similar elements may be referred to by similar numbers in variousfigures of the drawing, in which case typically the last two significantdigits may be the same, the most significant digit being the number ofthe drawing figure.

These and other features of the present invention will be apparent withreference to the following description and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1A is an orthogonal side view of an embodiment of the moxa removalforceps instrument of the present invention, shown in open position;

FIG. 1B is an orthogonal side view of an embodiment of the moxa removalforceps instrument of the present invention, shown in closed position;

FIG. 2 is a view into one embodiment of the scoop end of the presentforceps invention; and

FIG. 3 is a view into a second embodiment of the scoop end of thepresent forceps invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention is a moxa cone removal instrument or forcepsinstrument 10, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 2B, designed for removal ofburning moxa cones from the skin of patients undergoing acupuncturetreatments involving moxibustion wherein burning moxa cones are placednear to or on the surface of a patient's skin. The forceps 10 accordingto the present invention allows the removal of burning or hot moxa coneswithout risk of burn for the person administering the moxibustiontreatment. The forceps 10 comprise two pivoting legs 12, 14 similar ingeneral shape and size to a hemostat, but having scoops 18, 20 at theends most distal from the finger grip portions 21 a, 21 b. The scoopsare designed to grasp and hold the moxa cones without crushing them.

Referring now to FIG. 1A, the moxa cone removal instrument 10 accordingto the present invention is a tweezer- or forceps-like instrument(structure) comprising two elongate members 12, 14 joined either at oneend (tweezer) or pivoted at a midpoint (forceps) 16, and having endscoops 18, 20, respectively, which oppose each other and which areshaped to capture an object without applying clamping pressure on thecaptured object. As shown in FIG. 1A, the elongate members 12, 14, whenthe instrument 10 is in the ‘open’ position as shown, make and angle ofA that is variable and larger than it would be when the instrument 10 isin the closed position as shown in FIG. 1B.

The scoops 18, 20 have faces 24, 25, respectively, that open intointernal volumes 28 and 30, respectively, as shown in the two cut-awayportions of the view shown in FIG. 1B.

Each elongate member 12, 14 of the forceps 10, according to the presentinvention, can also include respectively locking tang portions 22 a, 22b of a locking mechanism 22 that engage each other when the elongatemembers 12, 14 are in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 1B, whereinthe open faces 24, 25 of the scoops 18, 20 are in contact and enclosinga volume comprising the two volumes 28, 30 of each scoop. The lockingtangs 22 a, 22 b are equipped with interconnecting locking ridges 23(shown on 22 a in FIG. 1A; they are out of view on 22 b) that engagewhen the forceps 10 are closed, such as upon a moxa cone. The lockingtangs 22 a, 22 b can be disengaged by gentle twisting or bending of theelongate members 12, 14 so as to disengage the ridges 23 on tang 22 afrom the corresponding ridges (not shown) on tang 22 b. The lockingtangs 22 a, 22 b are similar to those typically found on such aninstrument as a hemostat. While locking tangs are shown, it is alsowithin the terms of the present invention to form the elongate members12, 14 without a locking mechanism 22.

When the two opposing far end scoops 18, 20 of the forceps instrument 10are closed upon each other (i.e., when the angle A between two elongatemembers 12, 14 is at a minimum), they form a combined volume V, shown inFIG. 1B that is the sum of the volumes 28 and 30 of each scoop 18, 20,respectively. The two opposing far end scoops 18, 20 can “scoop” up anobject such a burning or burnt moxa cone during their closing and thencompletely encase the object without applying direct pressure to theobject. The flat bottoms 18 a, 20 a of the scoops 18 and 20,respectively, make contact with the skin of the patient. The ability ofthis forceps instrument 10 to scoop and encase an object will enable aburning moxa cone to be easily scooped up and removed from the skin of apatient without allowing the burning moxa cone to injure either thepatient or the acupuncture practitioner.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the scoop 18, at the end of theelongate member 14, encloses a polyhedral volume corresponding to halfof a four-sided pyramid. Note the offset region 29 between the elongatemember 14 and the scoop 18, said offset being present as one of manyways to accommodate the inherent offset of the elongate members 12, 14as they are joined and hinged about the pivot point 16 illustrated inthe FIGS. 1A and 1B. As shown in FIG. 1B, the scoop 18 (as shown in FIG.2) mates with a substantially identically shaped scoop 20 to create aninternal polyhedral volume V having a four-sided pyramid shape. Thecorresponding scoop 20 is shaped like scoop 18, albeit having a mirrorimage shape and offset conformation.

More specifically, in relation to the scoop 18 shown in FIG. 2, the twoside surfaces 32 a, 32 b are two of the four facets of the pyramidalvolume V when the scoop 18 is in contact with the scoop 20, and the basefacet 34 is half of the base of the pyramidal volume V of the two scoopswhen in contact at their faces 24, 25. The three edges 26 of the scoop18, and the two corners 27 can be blunted so as not to present sharpedges or points that might injure the patient or the practitioner.

It is within the terms of the present invention to use other enclosedvolumetric shapes of the combined volumes of the two scoops. Forexample, FIG. 3 shows a scoop 36 disposed at the end of an elongatemember 38, also incorporating an offset 40. The scoop 36 enclosed asemi-conical volume 42 consisting of a semi-conical wall 44 and asemi-circular base 46, such that when a corresponding mirror-image scoopmember (not shown) is brought face to face with the scoop 36, theenclosed volume is that of a right angle circular cone.

The inventor envisions that in addition to the aforementioned circularconical enclosed volume, the enclosed volume might also be that of anelliptical cone, i.e., a cone whose base, at right angles to the cone,is an ellipse that is divided half and half between the respective twofar end scoops.

Generally, the enclosed volumes of the closed scoops 18, 20 should beoriented so that the flat part of the scoop—the base of the pyramid 18a, 20 a or the base of the cone-shaped scoop—can “skim” across thepatient's skin between the skin and the moxa cone, as with a dustpan anda brush. Another similar object would be a dredge which has two somewhatsemi-cylindrical scoops which come together to scoop up objects.

Additional enclosed volumetric shapes are also envisioned by theinventor. For example, a right cylindrical enclosed volume with acircular base, said base being divided between each scoop. Enclosedvolumes that are cubical or rectangular volumes are also envisioned forthe closed pair of end scoops, though always having flat bases. Ahemisphere for each of the end scoops, which when combined would enclosea spherical volume, is generally not preferred, since it does not have aflat base, but the two hemispherical volumes could be flattened a bit onthe skin-contacting side to provide a flat base to skim along thepatient's skin.

Any of the aforementioned enclosures formed by the end scoops 18, 20preferably have solid walls. The moxa cone removal forceps 10 aredesigned to pick up and contain the moxa, i.e., not to let it fall out.The removed moxa cone can them be removed to a suitable location, suchas a disposal bin, and the forceps can then be opened and the spent moxaproperly discarded.

The material of the instrument 10 can certainly be metal, just likestandard tweezers or forceps. However, metal always feels cold to theskin. A high density, heat resistant plastic such as polyimide would bepreferred. Or bone, or even ivory (if legally available).

Alternatively, the enclosed volumetric shapes (cones, pyramids, etc.)described hereinabove could be formed as accessory “tips” which wouldremovably fit onto the ends of standard forceps. Sets of different sizeand shape tips could be provided. The tips could either fit snugly (andremovably) on the ends of the standard forceps, or a screw end or evenan adhesive could be used.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to acertain preferred embodiment or embodiments, certain equivalentalterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the artupon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexeddrawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by theabove described components the terms (including a reference to a“means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond,unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs thespecified function of the described component (i.e., that isfunctionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to thedisclosed structure which performs the function in the hereinillustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition, while aparticular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respectto only one of several embodiments, such feature may be combined withone or more features of the other embodiments as may be desired andadvantageous for any given or particular application.

1. A moxa cone removal instrument comprising: two elongate membersjoined together; and a pair of end scoops, one on each of the twoelongate members, said end scoops disposed so as to come together andform a hollow enclosed volume wherein can be captured an object withoutapplying clamping pressure upon said object.
 2. The moxa cone removalinstrument of claim 1 where in the hollow enclosed volume formed by thesaid end scoops form the volumetric shape of a polyhedral volume havinga flat polygonal base.
 3. The moxa cone removal instrument of claim 1where in the hollow enclosed volume formed by the said end scoops formthe volumetric shape of a conical volume having a flat circular orelliptical base.
 4. The moxa cone removal instrument of claim 1 whereinthe end scoops are constructed of a heat resistant material.
 5. The moxacone removal instrument of claim 4 wherein the heat resistant materialis metal.
 6. The moxa cone removal instrument of claim 4 wherein theheat resistant material is high temperature plastic.
 7. The moxa coneremoval instrument of claim 1 including means for locking the twoelongate members together.
 8. The moxa cone removal instrument of claim7 wherein the means for locking the two elongate members togetherincludes a locking tang on each of the elongate members for lockingtogether when the two elongate members are locked together.
 9. A methodfor removing burning moxa cones from the skin of patients undergoingacupuncture treatments involving moxibustion, the method comprising thesteps of: providing a moxa cone removal instrument comprising twoelongate members joined together with a pair of end scoops, one on eachof the two elongate members, said end scoops disposed so as to cometogether and form a hollow enclosed volume when the elongate members arebrought together; positioning the pair of end scoops upon the patient'sskin on opposite sides of the burning moxa cone; closing the elongatemembers of the moxa cone removal instrument so as to enclose the moxacone within the hollow enclosed volume defined by the pair of endscoops; and lifting the burning moxa cone away from the skin.
 10. Themethod of claim 9 including the step of: opening the moxa cone removalinstrument to remove the moxa cone therefrom.
 11. The method of claim 9including the step of: closing the elongate members of the moxa coneremoval instrument so as to enclose the moxa cone within the hollowenclosed volume defined by the pair of end scoops without applyingclamping pressure upon said moxa cone
 12. The method of claim 9 whereinthe step of providing a moxa cone removal instrument includes the stepof providing said volume defined by the pair of end scoops to be apolyhedral volume having a flat polygonal base.
 13. The method of claim9 wherein the step of providing a moxa cone removal instrument includesthe step of providing said volume defined by the pair of end scoops tobe a conical volume having a flat circular or elliptical base.
 14. Themethod of claim 9 further including the step of providing a moxa coneremoval instrument of two elongate members joined together with a pairof end scoops constructed of a heat resistant material.
 15. The methodof claim 9 further including the step locking the two elongate memberstogether.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step locking the twoelongate members together includes the step of providing a locking tangon each of the elongate members for locking the two elongate memberstogether.